The chants of 1000 new Gryphons screamed Walk Off The Earth lyrics at the Field House on Sept. 9. Originally from Burlington, Ontario, Walk Off The Earth (WOTE) came to perform for new students at the University of Guelph.
After procuring a $25 ticket and waiting in a line that stretched from the Gryphon Fieldhouse and around the corner to Reynolds walk, folks headed into the fieldhouse covered in interlocking foam tiles that stretched across the track and turf. The tactile feeling and experience was akin to having a concert in one very big daycare play room.
When asked about what advice he would give to students, Ryan Marshall, the guitarist for WOTE who graduated from the University of Guelph, said, “Spend as much time here [at U of G] as you can, before you have to leave for the real world.”
WOTE brought their signature choreography to the show, skillfully throwing instruments to each other throughout the course of the night. At one point, they performed their cover of Gotye’s “Somebody that I Used to Know” with five people playing a guitar at once. Their cover of “Somebody That I Used to Know” was the band’s first track that went platinum, and has since brought WOTE into the mainstream Canadian music scene. In total, WOTE has released six albums, the latest titled, Sing It All Away, which was launched June 16, 2015. A month later, Sing It All Away peaked at number two on the Billboard Canadian albums chart.
Many of the songs WOTE played throughout the night were from their new album Sing It All Away, but with a nearly two hour set, they were able to cover a plethora of their older work including “Red Hands,” “Gang of Rhythm,” and “Shake.” Between songs, the group would get the crowd riled up with a chant from their new titular track “Sing It All Away.” This learning experience was not one way exclusive; at one point, the new Gryphons took over a lull teaching WOTE a chant of their own.
“One, we are the Gryphons. Two, little bit louder. Three, I still can’t hear you. Four, more more more,” screamed the audience. Ryan Marshall was quick to quip on stage that it’s got the making of a hit song as the band fell in sync and played along.
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The last song played titled, “Summer Vibes,” was a grand collective of WOTE, their stage crew and all of the Orientation Volunteers that were at the event. The band was quick to thank them for all of their help, and then the room peaked. Air cannons were fired off, the room filled with sepia tone lighting, and giant balloons were let loose on the crowd. The set ended with a cinematic experience for the first big show of the year on campus. The band has come a long way from their start as Youtube cover stars, and are now about to leave for the European leg of tour.
The Mohrs opened for WOTE with a heavier modern rock set. Band leader and vocalist Jackie Mohr delivered piercing vocal lines and sharp solos that echoed classics like Janis Joplin, and modern day artists like Nico Vega.
“There are not enough females doing rock music, and it’s always been my first love so we kind of formed this band and hooked up with the right people,” said Mohr. “We are in the works of a new album our first album Kings of Nowhere came out in February and it’s about time.”
Jackie Mohr and fellow band mate Marc Girardin first teamed up to form the band Living in Red. Based out of Winnipeg where Mohr is originally from, the group was selected to compete in the CBC television show Cover Me Canada. The show only lasted one season but brought Mohr and Girardin together which ultimately lead to the formation of The Mohrs.
“The crowd’s huge, if you don’t have a good crowd, you kind of got to bring the energy even more so, but tonight, everyone was awesome. It was a lot of fun to play for them. They have fun, we have fun,” said Mohr.
“Who wouldn’t want to play with Dave Grohl? Maybe he’d let me sit in his chair,” concluded Mohr.